1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to communications systems, and more particularly, to communication systems for state awareness across communication channels and statefully transitioning users between communication channels.
2. Related Art
Businesses have long relied upon Computer Telephone Integration (“CTI”) systems to facilitate interactions between user service agents and the users that they serve. Commonly, CTI systems are configured to receive and process a variety of basic user data (e.g., social security number, phone number, account number, type or category of problem experienced, etc.) For example, CTI systems may locate a user account based upon information provided by the user in response to one or more automated questions (e.g., where such an account exists), identify a user service agent suited to assist with the problem experienced by the user, connect the user to the selected agent, and populate the computer display (“screen pop”) of the agent with the user's information.
Currently, businesses may interact with users across a variety of communication channels. For example, businesses regularly receive inquiries over the telephone and internet. More recently, businesses may be contacted via smart phone apps and social networking websites. Thus, businesses may receive user inquiries across a wide variety of communication channels.
However, each of these communication channels typically operates independently of the other channels, and although there are integrated CTI systems (e.g., Cisco ICM) that enable communication across several channels (i.e., an agent may communicate with a user in a voice/chat/email channel), the data collected in one channel is typically unavailable in other channels. In other words, existing CTI systems do not permit a user to maintain an inquiry across a plurality of independent channels. Rather, a user who enters data in a voice channel, for example, must reenter this data in a mobile, email, chat, social, etc networking channel to continue his inquiry.
Accordingly, a system capable of maintaining user information across a variety of communication channels is needed. Such a system will be of assistance to user service agents, in that users will not be required to repeat certain information, wherein such an advantage may itself result in a more rapid overall resolution of user inquiries. Moreover, users may enjoy, through such a system, the freedom to resolve inquiries across a spectrum of destination communication channels.